Meetings
by Bookjunk
Summary: Two-parter. Christian tells Ray about his need to protect Ana. Ray acts accordingly. Beware: I'm not a FSoG fan.
1. How I met your daughter

**Meetings**

**Chapter 1: How I met your daughter**

Ray doesn't enjoy talking to his daughter, because they don't really talk. A few seconds into the conversation, Ana invariably brings up _the game_. She seems to be under the impression that there's always some game on – she's probably right – and that he wants to talk about that more than he wants to talk about things that interest her – she's wrong. It makes him sad that his daughter thinks that he'd rather talk about a game than about her and what's going on in her life.

However, Ray likes talking to his daughter's boyfriend even less. Ana loves Christian. She adores him. That much is obvious. Her father thinks that Christian is a jackass, but, for Ana's sake, Ray tries to like him.

'I feel this overwhelming desire to protect her,' Christian admits, savouring an expensive wine. Ray sips his beer, almost defiantly.

'Have I told you already about how we met?' Christian asks. Ray shakes his head. He has heard this story before and it's not particularly interesting, but it's better than watching Christian and thinking about the possibility that one day this dickbag might become his son-in-law. Ray grips the bottle a little tighter. Don't think about that, he urges himself. That way madness lies.

'This is not our initial meeting, you understand?' Christian explains. Ray nods and gestures at the waiter to please bring him another beer.

'This is when I first realised that Ana had to be protected.'

Ray raises an eyebrow. Ana is prone to tripping; that's true. And she can be very gullible. Still, Christian is talking about her as if she is a child. Well, okay, Ray worries about her sometimes. Ana likes to think that she's wise beyond her years, but at heart she's just a kid. So, Ray thinks about her like that too, but he is her _father_. This guy is her boyfriend. Isn't that creepy? Ray wonders whether he's just inventing reasons not to like Christian now.

'We had met, I think, three or four times at this point. Ana called me and she was drunk, but she refused to tell me where she was. Naturally, I tracked her phone and went to get her. When I found her José was kissing her against her will, but I told him to back off. Soon afterwards, Ana passed out. I then took her to my hotel room and shared a bed with her that night to keep an eye on her.'

Ray's mind races. Christian tracked Ana's phone? Jose assaulted her? Christian took his unconscious daughter to a hotel room and slept in the same bed doing God knows what with her? This is not okay, Ray thinks. He releases his hold on the empty bottle for fear of breaking it with his death grip or – better yet – grabbing the neck, smashing the bottom against the table and stabbing Christian in the face with its jagged edges.

'Oh, don't worry,' Christian quickly says, catching Ray's look of horror. 'Since then Ana has built up a decent alcohol tolerance and I monitor her intake, so this won't happen again.'

Ray starts to protest that Ana being drunk is the _least _disturbing part of the horror story Christian just delivered so casually, but Christian cuts him off.

'Plus, Ana is guarded at all times and José is on the list of people who are not allowed to see her. Another threat eliminated,' Christian announces. He is absolutely serious and obviously thinks that there's nothing wrong with what he just said, which chills Ray to the bone. Who else is on that list? What if he ever ends up on it?

'I will keep your daughter safe, whether she wants me to or not,' Christian adds. He sounds proud. He looks smug while Ray contemplates all the ways he could kill this creep and dispose of the body. It is extremely gratifying. He needs to be careful, though. Ana can never know.

(***)

One week later.

'Christian, I'd like to tell you a story. It's called: How Christian Grey met his end.'

The end.

(***)

Author's note:

Several commenters have expressed that they are either baffled or offended that someone who is not a fan of FSoG is writing FSoG fanfiction.

To those who are offended: I will continue to write what I like to write regardless of your outrage.

To those who are baffled: Let's start at the beginning. Why did I read the books? If I don't like them, I simply shouldn't read them, right? This is such a weird question to me, because how am I supposed to know that I don't like the books when I haven't read them?

So, I read the FSoG books and I didn't like them. I think the books are extremely badly written. I think Ana and Christian's relationship is abusive. I think Christian is arrogant and manipulative. I think Ana is snotty and stupid. Yet, I'm writing FSoG fanfiction. Why?

First of all, I like to write fanfiction. Canon can be fun, but it's limited. I like to write about things that haven't happened in canon. This is why Christian is (brutally) murdered in my stories. I would have liked to have seen that happen in canon. It's my way of 'fixing' FSoG.

Secondly, the majority of people who read FSoG fanfiction are FSoG fans, but there are also plenty of people who, like me, didn't exactly love the books and are looking for some snark. For my and their enjoyment, I provide them with snark.

Thirdly, I am amazed by your bafflement. I write 'Beware: I'm not a FSoG fan' in the summaries of all of my FSoG stories. Therefore, before reading the story, you already know that I am not a fan. You also know that you should 'beware,' which to any functioning literate would read like a warning that I will (at the very least) be critical of a work of fiction and/or fictional characters that you like.

See, when I picked up FSoG, I expected an erotic love story, because that's how the book is marketed. What I got instead was a crappily written depiction of two insufferable idiots in an abusive relationship. You, on the other hand, knew what to expect when you clicked on my story. So, it's very hard for me to take you seriously when you then proceed to complain in a review that I should not be writing FSoG fanfiction, because I'm not a fan. You were informed and you chose to read it anyway. You only have yourself to blame for your disappointment.


	2. How Christian met his end

**Meetings**

**Chapter 2: How Christian met his end**

A few years back, José had given Ray The Dark Knight Returns for his birthday. Ray remembered that José had called it a graphic novel, but it had pictures and was not for children, so it was a comic book. It was a mock gift. A joke present. It wasn't very funny to Ray, since he'd rather gotten something he'd asked for, but he'd thanked José and that had been that.

Until one night, when the power failed and it was too early to retire to bed, yet too dark to go out. Ray searched for something to do and there it was. The only book in the house. Ana was the reader in the family: Ray was not. And even if he had been, he probably wouldn't be interested in fiction, let alone superheroes. But there was nothing else to do, so what the hell?

Ray lit a few candles and he read it in one sitting. He got confused a couple of times. The medium was wholly unknown to him and sometimes he had trouble discerning the order of the panels. At other times, he marvelled at the girl who dressed up as Robin. She was so young! Ray liked Commissioner Gordon, though.

The thing that stuck with Ray the most was Gordon, a man performing a thankless duty, inwardly repeating: 'I think of Sarah. The rest is easy.'

And it was. Whenever Ray thought of Ana, it was easy. He would do _anything_ to keep his daughter safe.

(***)

'Ray? Where am I? What are you doing?'

Ray doesn't answer. It isn't story time yet. He needs to make sure first that he has left no trail for Taylor to follow.

(***)

Taylor was the biggest problem. Okay, Taylor and my conscience, Ray amended.

Ray had not killed people during his military service. He had been willing, though. To protect his fellow soldiers. This was like that. Not exactly, but close enough. It was either Christian or Ana. Ray was convinced of that. Sooner or later Ana would have done something to set Christian off.

Taylor was maybe too much like Ray. Competent, quiet, calm. Loyal. Ray suspected that Taylor's true loyalty was to his family. Ana had told him about Taylor's daughter and the hold Christian had over her future. At one point, Ray considered letting Taylor in on his plan, but that was foolish. The less people knew the better.

(***)

Christian stares at him with wide open eyes. He is plainly terrified. It gives Ray no pleasure. This isn't about revenge. It isn't about making Christian suffer. It's tempting, sure, but Ray is not a cruel man.

(***)

Ana was guarded at all times. Christian wasn't. In that respect, it was easy. Ray bumped into Christian. _What a coincidence!_ Ray accompanied Christian to his car, which then wouldn't start. _Need a ride?_ No one saw Christian get into Ray's nondescript car. _Want some water?_ The water was laced with a heavy sedative, of course. Yes, it was easy.

As soon as Christian lost consciousness, Ray changed directions. Deep in a forest, he undressed Christian, gagged and bound him and transferred him to the trunk of the car. Ray smashed Christian's phone with a rock. He made a small fire and burned Christian's clothes and belongings. Back on the road again, Ray stopped at a gas station and threw what was left of the phone in the trash. Then he drove on.

(***)

'Christian, I'd like to tell you a story. It's called: How Christian Grey meets his end,' Ray says and he observes Christian.

Something strange happens when a man thinks that he's going to die. Something goes out of him or something comes into him. Ray had seen it happen in the army. He had felt it himself. Two different forms of surrender. You resign yourself to your inevitable death or you resign yourself to pain and maybe, hopefully, at the end of that: life. Christian's eyes brimmed with the will to survive. To live.

Ray doesn't like having to do this. He had been glad to escape the army without getting to know how it felt to take a life. Killing someone is rarely – if ever – heroic. Maybe that's why he wants to explain. It certainly isn't about making Christian understand, because he wouldn't.

'I'm doing this because of what you have done and what you are doing to Ana,' Ray begins. He recognises what this is. This is the speech. The justifying my actions speech. It's what villains do at the end of the movie. I am the villain now, Ray realises and suddenly he's tired. What's the use? Why does he care? Christian's opinion never mattered, anyway.

Ray does what is necessary, because he knows that sometimes evil is necessary.

He shoots Christian. He buries the body. He goes back home. He waits for Ana's phone call.

The end.


End file.
